[Whooping cough morbidity and inoculation status]. / Zabolevaemost' kokliushem i sostoianie privitosti.

The analysis of pertussis morbidity and the state of immunity to pertussis has made it possible to evaluate the existing epidemiological situation as unfavorable. The restraining influence of specific prophylaxis on the epidemic process of pertussis becomes weaker due to the growing number of nonimmunized children; for this reason, the maximum morbidity rate in pertussis is observed among children under 5 years of age, as it was at the period before the introduction of mass immunization against pertussis. To prevent further possible increase in the intensity of the epidemic process of pertussis and in the severity of the clinical course of the disease, the number of children under 3 years of age, not immunized against pertussis, must be reduced by limiting the number of children exempted from immunization on medical grounds and by increasing the proportion of children immunized from the age of 3 months.

[The epidemic process of diphtheria infection in the RSFSR during the introduction of epidemiological surveillance]. / Epidemicheskii protsesse difteriinoi infektsii v RSFSR v usloviiakh vnedreniia épidemiologicheskogo nadzora.

In this work the characterization of the epidemic process of diphtheria infection on the territory of the RSFSR under the conditions of epidemiological surveillance (1983-1986) is presented. In comparison with the period of 1979-1982, an increase in morbidity rate occurred, which accounts for more complete detection of patients with mild forms of diphtheria, including persons found to be carriers of toxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae. Beginning from 1983, the leveling out of seasonal morbidity rises is observed. In the total number of persons affected by this infection the prevalence of adults is noted. Among them, a decrease in the morbidity rate was registered in 1986 (the maximum decrease was observed in age and professional groups of risk), which confirms the effectiveness of measures carried out for the protection of the adult population from diphtheria. Among children, a tendency towards a decrease in morbidity rate was noted in all age groups. The existing system of epidemiological surveillance on the territory of the RSFSR is capable of stabilizing diphtheria morbidity on a sporadic level and minimizing the number of fatal outcomes. The intensification of the epidemic process in some areas of the RSFSR is due to shortcomings in the realization of different measures of epidemiological surveillance.

[Epidemiology of diphtheria in the RSFSR during mass immunization over many years]. / Epidemiologiia difterii v RSFSR v usloviiakh mnogoletnei massovoi immunizatsii.

The work defines the characteristic epidemiological features of diphtheria in the RSFSR at the present moment when a high level of antitoxic immunity is generally determined in children. With the diphtheria morbidity level having, on the whole, a sporadic character in the RSFSR, the intensification of the epidemic process has been found to occur in some regions. Changes in the ratio of morbidity rates among the urban and rural population are observed, the morbidity rate among the latter have the tendency towards increase. At present the characteristic feature of diphtheria is the prevalence of adults in the general morbidity structure. An important fact is a permanently high level of toxigenicity in Corynebacterium diphtheriae. As before, autumn is the season of the highest morbidity level.